Orlando, FL
January 21, 2006
Story and Photos by Chris Spice (Darth Spice)

SANDTROOPERS INVADE DISNEY WORLD
Since joining enlisting in the Sandtrooper army four years ago, vacations have been few and far between for me by utilizing many of my vacation weeks to attend the many events that are on our Dewback Patrol menu. However even when I’m at play, I am still at hard at work. During a recent vacation at MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, I had the chance to visit the Starspeeder 3000 and see all of the droids that adorn the hallways thru the entire line. Forced sometimes to hit the deck to capture many of the Droids that have been delivered in the first three waves of Star Tours Disney park exclusives. However something that is not discussed much at all are the three figures that are not a high priority for most collectors. Is this a wave forgotten or have collectors simply had enough?

When you first approach the attraction, the first thing that will jump out at any fan is the large AT-AT that is near a replica Ewok village. It was very cool to get a good look at what could be one of the Empire’s greatest ground assault weapons. While it most certainly isn’t scale, you definitely can imagine what it would have really been like. While the line was roped off, one of the employees was kind enough to let me go wherever I wanted to take pictures of the “village”.

The line on the day I was in the park was not long, and they have C-3PO and R2-D2 blended in with the other Droids that are exclusive to the ride such as R5-D2 and R4-M9. With plenty of junk scattered along the way, even if the line were long you would have plenty to look at during an extended wait. The two all-time favorite Droids go through their usual exchange of banter while giving you a little foresight about what lies ahead in the attraction. I won’t go into detail about the ride itself, if you go I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you. However it is simply a small enclosed “ship” that seats only a handful of people, and there are several rooms for viewing in the event of a busier day. If you are claustrophobic you may have a hard time on this ride. Dramamine is also another great alternative if you have to make that voyage!

When you come out of the store, as with most attractions in Orlando you are brought through a store in the exit, however this was one that I was more than willing to spend some time in. Literally falling off the pegs was what seems to be the forgotten wave of MSE-1T, G3-5LE, and 3T-RNE! While I wasn’t really impressed with the first look of these figures, since I was there and am an avid collector, I did break down and spend the money to get the set. What was even better was some of the other merchandise that was in Tatooine Traders store. I did my best to capture some of the items I thought Troopers would like to see.

For mail orders you can call: 1-407-363-6200 if you missed the wave or visit their website for more information about this must see Star Wars attraction. We look forward to Julian Betancourt a.k.a. Desert Rat to add these figures to our established Star Tours guide.

PHOTO GALLERY
To see the photo gallery containing 58 photos click here.

WANT MORE?
Be sure to check out the Star Tours visual guide that was designed by Julian H. Betancourt (aka Desert Rat). If you like the figures then you won't want to miss out on this!